On one of the most emotional nights of the NBA season at the Air Canada Centre, an injured Kyle Lowry tried to serve as an assistant coach, barking at his teammates from the Raptors bench during each and every time out.

Your thoughts, coach Dwane Casey?

“Frankly, I prefer him in uniform than street clothes,” laughed Casey after the shorthanded Raptors defeated the Indiana Pacers 102-94 in front of an electric throng on Friday.

And if Casey has any say, Lowry will be wearing that Raptors jersey for years to come. In fact, prior to the game, the coach echoed MLSE president Tim Leiweke’s recent comments concerning hopes of locking up the pending free agent long-term.

That the Raptors could defeat Indiana — the second place team in the Eastern Conference — with two of their five starters out of the lineup due to injury speaks to the resolve and depth that this playoff-bound team has developed.